Pre-oriented rotor-type dispenser top

Abstract

The rotatable cap of an end closure and the associated end closure base are provided with detent elements defining one rotative position out of the entire 360 degrees and allowing rotation up to such position from all other rotative positions throughout the entire 360 degrees. The detent may be in the form of a plug which is received in and closes the discharge opening of the closure to act as an anti-sifting element. Automatic orientation can be accomplished by simply engaging the cap with a friction member carried at the end of a power-driven spindle provided with a slip clutch while turning the spindle through at least one full turn.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A two-piece end closure for a container comprising a stationary base for attachment to the container, said base having a central flat web portion, a discharge opening in said central flat web portion at one side thereof, a generally flat-bottomed cap rotatably mounted over said central web portion of said base for selectively covering and opening said discharge opening, a rotative interconnection between said cap and said base at the center of said flat web portion of said base and tending to snugly retain the bottom surface of said generally flat-bottomed cap against the top surface of said central flat web portion of said base in face-to-face contact therewith, a plug depending from said flat bottom of said rotatable cap and, at one rotative position of said cap, projecting into a socket in said flat wall portion to thereby act as a detent against rotation to define one rotative position of said end closure, said cap being resiliently deformable from said face-to-face contact to allow said plug to ride on the top surface of said central web portion at all other rotative positions of said cap, said end closure as so constructed providing means for detentive resisting of rotation of the cap at said one rotative position out of the entire 360 degrees and allowing rotation free of detentive resistance up to said one position from all other rotative positions throughout the entire 360 degrees, said rotatable cap being of circular shape whereby a circular area of said top surface of said central flat web portion of said base is overlain by said cap in all rotative positions of said cap to thereby, throughout said circular area, shield said base from contact from above by any rotating member brought down into driving contact with said cap and thus limit driving contact, by any such member, to contact with said cap to the exclusion of said base, the sides of said plug and socket having substantially vertical walls abutting in one direction of rotation and having angular ramps wedging one upon the other for disengagement of the plug from the socket in the other direction of rotation, said socket and said discharge opening being one and the same, said one rotative position being the closed position of said end closure.